Like most of the world, today I woke up to the news of an incomprehensible tragedy in Las Vegas. A man with at least 10 rifles fired, repeatedly, from the 32nd floor of a hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Over 59 people were killed and over 500 were injured. It was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Today I woke up and was quietly stunned and wholeheartedly sad as I read about what had happened. As I went about my morning with a heavy heart, I searched for the words to say. Because what do you say, after so many innocent lives have been lost?

I realized in the midst of thinking about how to grasp all of this that I had already written what I was trying to say. Two years ago on a day where two mass shootings occurred, I wrote the piece I shared below. I thought it was worth sharing again today because seven billion people woke up to the news of a horrific shooting this morning and, as I wrote in my older post: “Tonight, 7 billion people will go to sleep. Some will have had lost the people they cared about most, some will sob at the empty bed of the victim of a senseless act, and some will have woken from a nightmare to find themselves in a hospital bed. What kind of world will they wake up to?”

It is my hope that soon, we will all wake up to a world where American leaders and legislators are working hard to create stronger gun control laws to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

Today I woke up snuggled in my warm duvet. I jumped out of bed when I realized that I had woken up almost half an hour later than I had intended. I quickly checked my phone, packed my backpack, threw on some clothes, ate breakfast, and hopped in the car to go to school. I had a business test and when the final bell rung I walked home with my sister and started on my homework.

Today someone woke up in Savannah, Georgia in the early morning because their telephone was ringing. Still half asleep, they answered it. The voice on the other end was crisp and male. It was a doctor from the hospital — where one of their loved ones had been admitted after being shot in the street.

Today someone else woke up and got ready for work at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California…

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10 thoughts on “Today I Woke Up”

It’s the stupid guns! A scene happened in Canada too, only the killer had a knife and no gun. I don’t think anyone was killed. More care should be taken so that guns don’t end up in the hands of mentally ill people.

Praying for all those affected, I heard about this at school and just felt sad and sick about the fact that there are people out in this world who seek revenge to kill people for no reason.
Praying with you.

You are an amazing person, thank you for continuing to speak on U. S. gun violence. I have lost faith in our elected leaders to do anything sensible. Trump could probably make a dent in this, but he will never upset his base.

Sherina, this is beautifully writen. About 2 weeks ago (24 September 2017), it marked one year since I lost one of my closest friends. It wasn’t to a mass shooting, but I resonate with you as we are very unfortunate to lose innocent lives to ‘manmade catastophes’ & that fading hope when one wakes up and looks forward to a positive day, only for it to end abruptly. I count my lucky star that I am still alive each day and can go to sleep each day. I am from South Africa and I watch some of the politics that occur in the US. The gun policy I think is the dumbest thing the leadership has imposed. They can see innnocent lives going away, yet they still keep the laws intacted.